Toy Projector

ABSTRACT

A toy projector. The present projector is a plush toy animal having an animal-like or fanciful appearance. The toy comprises a projector, one or more speakers, and the necessary electronic components for operating the projector and the speakers to play image, audio, and/or video content as desired by the user. The electronic components comprise a power source, one or more processors, a memory, and a logic that allows the present invention to play image, audio, and/or video content encoded in data files provided either wirelessly or via a physical computer readable medium. Furthermore, the head and body portions are pivotably connected together, which allows users to adjust the surface against which the images are projected without forcing the user to move the entire toy.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/896,483 filed on Oct. 28, 2013. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to projectors. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to projectors that are adapted for use bychildren in that they capture the interest of children and are simple touse.

Keeping children entertained is a constant struggle faced by parents andother guardians. Children generally thrive when participating ininteractive activities and playing with interactive toys, but sometimeslose focus when taking part in passive activities. Movies areoccasionally sufficient to hold a young child's focus for a period oftime, but alone they may not entertain a child long enough to providethe parent or guardian with a sufficient amount of time to completechores or complete other tasks. Therefore, there is a need in the priorart for an interactive, entertaining media-playing device that isadapted to grab and maintain children's interest that provides a fun andentertaining housing for the media-playing electronic components, thatis customizable, and that comprises a simple and intuitive interfacethat is easy for children to use.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to toyprojectors and various types of stuffed or plush animals. These includedevices that have been patented and published in patent applicationpublications. These devices generally relate to stuffed animals havingintegral video display devices or projectors having a child-friendlydesign or appearance. The following is a list of devices deemed mostrelevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for thepurposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of thepresent invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing inthe prior art.

Various types of video projector devices are known in the prior art;however, these devices are not child-friendly because they are difficultto use, boring to interact with, and/or not customizable. Conversely,the present invention comprises an entertaining plush body housing theprojector and various other electronic components that captures theinterest of young children. Furthermore, the ability to easily adjustthe direction of the projector allows children to have fun watchingmovies against their bedroom wall, ceiling, or any other such surface.Finally, the simple controls of the present invention disposed directlyon the exterior surface of the plush toy itself are simply and intuitiveto use for most children.

Furthermore, plush toys having various means for display video are alsoknown in the prior art; however, these devices do not comprise aprojector and instead generally comprise an integral video displayscreen. The projector of the present invention is an advantageous designbecause it allows children to watch movies against any surface they wishand does not have a screen that can easily be broken by children unawareof the fragility of such screens. Furthermore, the integral screendisposed on the exterior of these devices make the plush animals not ascomfortable to hold and play with.

The present toy projector substantially diverges in design elements fromthe prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in theart for an improvement to existing stuff or plush animals havingelectronic video and/or audio display means. In this regard the instantinvention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofplush toys now present in the prior art, the present invention providesa new plush toy adapted to display video content wherein the same can beutilized for providing convenience for providing an entertaining,interactive video and audio display device intended for use by youngchildren.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved toy projector device that has all of the advantages of theprior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy projectordevice that is a plush or stuffed animal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy projectordevice in which the angle or position of the projector is adjustable.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toyprojector comprising detachable and/or interchangeable components,allowing children to customize the appearance of the present invention.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toyprojector that is adapted to play all types of image, audio, and videocontent.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toyprojector comprising a rechargeable battery.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toyprojector having a control scheme that is intuitive for young children.

Yet Another object of the present invention is to provide a toyprojector that may be readily fabricated from materials that permitrelative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the front portion of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the back portion of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the electronic components of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the present invention in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the toy projector. For the purposes of presenting a briefand clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodimentwill be discussed as used for displaying movies from a computer readablemedium, such as a MiniDVD disc. The figures are intended forrepresentative purposes only and should not be considered to be limitingin any respect.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown perspective views of thefront and back portions of the present invention. The present inventionis a toy 51 comprising a body 11 and a head 12 that is pivotablyattached thereto. The toy 51 is preferably constructed from plushmaterial or other suitably soft material that makes the presentinvention pleasing to children. Furthermore, the depicted embodiment ofthe present invention has the appearance of a fanciful, animal-likecreature; however, no claim is made as to a specific design of thepresent invention as the present invention make take a variety ofanimal-like or fanciful forms. Embodiments of the present inventionfurther comprise a variety of additional features such as detachablewings, as shown, and other accessories that allow users to freelycustomize the appearance of the present invention.

The present invention further comprises a projector 13 disposed on thehead 12, a speaker 15 disposed on the body 11, and the necessaryelectronic components disposed within the interior of the toy 51 tooperate the projector 13 and speaker 15 components of the presentinvention. The projector 13 and the speaker 15 are preferably arrangedsuch that they are roughly aligned with each other so that, when playingvideo content, the audio is emitted in the same direction of the video.The projector 13 and the speaker 15 may be used independently, as whendisplaying pictures or playing music, or may be used together, as whenplaying a video. The present invention is discussed as used to playvideo media; however, the present invention is adapted for use withvideo, picture/image, or music file formats.

The present invention further comprises at least one power source 16 anda microcomputer 17 embedded within the toy 51. The power source 16comprises a replaceable battery, a rechargeable battery, or a power cordfor connecting the present invention to an electrical wall outlet. Thepresent invention further comprises a port 22 adapted to accept acharging cord for embodiments of the present invention utilizing arechargeable battery as the power source 16. The microcomputer 17comprises the necessary components to read, store, display, play, and/orotherwise make use of a computer readable medium 61 inserted into thepresent invention via a media input 14 disposed on the exterior of thetoy 51. The electronic components of the microcomputer 17 are poweredvia the power source 16 and are adapted to operate the projector 13 andspeaker 15 components of the present invention to play the media filescontained on the computer readable medium 61. As used herein,“computer-readable medium” excludes any transitory signals, but includesany non-transitory data storage circuitry, e.g., buffers, cache, andqueues, within transceivers of transitory signals. In the depictedembodiment of the present invention, the media input 14 comprises aMiniDVD-reader; however, the media input 14 comprises any device knownin the prior art for accepting any type of computer readable medium 61.In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the media input14 is a wireless transceiver adapted to accept files transmitted to thepresent invention via any type of wireless connection, such asBluetooth, ZigBee, and the like.

The present invention is adapted to make use of all types of media datafiles adapted to encode video, picture, and audio content. These datafile types comprise mpeg, mov, wmv, rm, m4a, wma, mp3, jpeg, gif, andall other such file formats. The provided list is only exemplary and isnot intended to be exhaustive. When received by the media input 14, themicrocomputer 17 reads the data files, recognizes the given file formattype, and initiates the appropriate media playback. In some embodimentsof the present invention, the media playback is initiated automatically;in other embodiments of the present invention, the user must initiatemedia playback via the user controls 21.

The present invention further comprises user controls 21 disposed on theexterior portion of the toy 51. The user controls 21 comprise an on/offbutton and a variety of buttons adapted to control video, picture, oraudio playback, including stop, pause, fast forward, rewind, nextselection and/or chapter, previous selection and/or chapter, and othersuch buttons. The user controls 21 are adapted to be intuitive for youngchildren to use, therefore the types of buttons utilizes by the usercontrols 21 are selected from those with which children would befamiliar and they are located on the exterior of the toy 51 in an easilyaccessible location.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a diagram of the electroniccomponents of the present invention. The electronic components of thepresent invention comprise the user controls 21 disposed on the exteriorof the toy 51 with which the user can control the operation of the powersource 16 and the microcomputer 17. In embodiments of the presentinvention wherein the power source 16 comprises a rechargeable battery,the present invention further comprises a port 22 that is adapted toaccept a cord for recharging the battery. In embodiments of the presentinvention wherein the power source 16 is of a non-rechargeable variety,e.g. a power cord that is adapted to be connected to an electrical walloutlet or a replaceable battery, then the toy 51 lacks the rechargingport 22.

The microcomputer 17 comprises one or more processors, a memory, anoperating system, a logic, and any other electronic components necessaryto read a computer readable medium and execute the instructions encodedthereon to display a combination of picture, audio, and/or video filesvia the projector 13 and speaker 15 disposed on the toy 51 for theenjoyment of the user. As used herein, “logic” refers to (i) logicimplemented as computer instructions and/or data within one or morecomputer processes and/or (ii) logic implemented in electroniccircuitry. The data files are provided to the microcomputer 17 via amedia input 14, which comprises a device for physically accepting acomputer readable medium, such as a MiniDVD drive, or a device forwirelessly accepting the data files via a wireless data connection. Thevarious electronic components of the present invention are electricallyconnected together and powered via the power source 16 in any mannerknown in the prior art.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view of thepresent invention in use. The present invention is adapted to projectvideo or photographic content from the projector 13 onto a surface 71,such as a wall, in order to provide an image 72 that is viewable by auser. Furthermore, the present invention is additionally adapted to playaudio content from the speaker 15 either alone or in combination withthe video or photographic content from the projector 13. The pivotableconnection between the head 12 and body 11 portions of the presentinvention allows the user to adjust the direction in which the video orimage content is projected, thereby allowing the user to place the toy51 at a desired location and adjust the viewing angle of the projectedimage 71 without having to adjust the positioning of the entire toy 51.In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pivotableconnection between the body 11 and the head 11 provides both ahorizontally-adjustable and vertically-adjustable connection. Such adesign is especially advantageous for young children because it allowsthem to project the video or picture content onto a wall, the ceiling,or whatever other surface 71 that they desire. This makes watchingmovies even more enjoyable for them because it provides the childrenwith a means to watch movies and other video content in a way that otherelectronic devices do not allow.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim:
 1. A toy projector, comprising: a body and a head; a projectorand one or more speakers disposed on said toy projector; an inputadapted to accept data files; a microcomputer comprising one or moreprocessors, a memory, and a logic adapted to execute said data files andtransmit image, video, and audio content encoded within said data filesto said projector and said one or more speakers; user controls disposedon said toy projector, said user controls adapted to control playback ofsaid image, video, and audio content; a power source; wherein theprojector is adapted to display said image and video content; whereinsaid one or more speakers are adapted to play said audio content.
 2. Thetoy projector of claim 1, wherein said head and said body are connectedvia a pivotable connection.
 3. The toy projector of claim 2, whereinsaid pivotable connection is both horizontally and verticallyadjustable.
 4. The toy projector of claim 1, wherein said toy projectoris composed of plush material.
 5. The toy projector of claim 1, whereinsaid projector is disposed on said head.
 6. The toy projector of claim1, wherein said one or more speakers are disposed on said body.
 7. Thetoy projector of claim 1, wherein said input comprises a device foraccepting a physical computer readable medium.
 8. The toy projector ofclaim 1, wherein said input comprises a wireless transceiver forwirelessly accepting data files.
 9. The toy projector of claim 1,wherein said power source comprises a rechargeable battery.
 10. The toyprojector of claim 9, further comprising a recharging port disposed onsaid toy projector.